Combined governor and speed-indicator for talking-machines.



C. E. WOODS.

COMBINED GOVERNOR AND SPEED INDICATOR FIOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, ma.

Lf. vPaten-ted Jan. 15,1918.

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COMBINED GOVERNOR AND SPEED INDICATOR FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED IIAY 29. I9I3.

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Suva/w30@ du' I c. E. WOODS.A COMBINED GOVERNOR AND SPEED INDICATOR FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY29. I9I3.

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3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- IIN CTIFF@ ARN CFFICFL CLINTON E. WOODS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN GRAPHIC- PHONE COMPANY, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF 'WEST VIRGINIA.

COMBINED GOVERNOR AND SPEED-INDICATOR FOR TALKING-MACHINES Application led May 29, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CLINTON E. VooDs, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Combined Governor and Speed- Indicator for Talking Machines, which invention is fully` set forth in the following specification.

rllhis invention relates to talking machines, and more particularly to means for both governing and indicating the speed at which the motor drives (revolves) the record tablet.

In talking machines the pitch of the reproduced sounds depends upon the speed at which the record groove is moved pastthe reproducing stylus; moreover it is desirable lto reproduce the record at approximately the same speed at which the original record is made, since thereby the pitch and tone quality of the original sounds is obtained in the reproduction.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for governing the speed of revolution of the record, combined with means which shall accurately indicate the speed of revolution thereof, and with this object in view, the invention, generally stated, consists in two centrifugally operated means, one of which coacts with a suitable speed regulator, such as a friction device whereby the speed of the motor is controlled, and the other of which operates an indicator or pointer which, in conjunction with a suitable scale, enables the speed of revolution to be accurately determined, thereby rendering it possible for the operator (if the speed at which the original record is made is known) to adjust the speed of the machine to that at which the original record was made; and if the speed of the original record is not known, to so adjust the speed of the motor as to secure the best reproduction both as to pitch and tone quality.

The inventive idea is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, some of which, for ythe purpose of illustrating the invention, are shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be expressly understood thatsuch drawings are for illustrative purposes, only and are not designed to indicate the.; limi-ts ,ot theV invention', reference:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. I5, 191.

serial No. 770,717.

being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a broken plan view of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig.V 2 is a broken side elevation of certain of the parts;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of another embodinient of the invention;

Fig. 4: is a broken detail;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, part-ly in section, on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views, and first to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the governor shaft, preferably formed integrally with or otherwise connected to or driven-by the driving shaft 2 of any suitable motor, here shown as an electrical motor 3, said driving shaft being provided with a worm 4 actuating the worm gear 5 keyed to the turn-table shaftV (i which drives the turn-table of the machine, which table supports the record. Connected with and preferably mounted upon the shaft 1 is a centrifugal mechanism which preferably comprises two independently acting centrifugal means. The two centrifugal means are so connected to the shaft as to be driven at a fixed speed ratio, which is preferably 1:1, that is, they are driven at the same speed. For mounting and driving the Centrifugal means there is preferably provided hub 7 fast on the governor shaft 1 and provided with two diametrically opposite radial arms S, 8, which arms are slotted to receive bell-crank levers 9, 9, having the weights 10, 10, at one end and piv oted to the arms 8, 8, at the points 11, 1l. Also mounted on the governor shaft, so as to turn therewith but to be free to slide thereon, is a sleeve 12 having a friction disk 13 at one end and a 'flange or lip 14 at the other end, which flange or lip is engaged by the inturned arms 15, 15, of the bellcrank levers 9, 9, the flange 14C being normallyv held in engagement with the arms 15` 15, by a spring 16 reacting between the left hand end of the hub 7 and the flange 14 `onthe sleeve 12. Suitable friction pads 1'?,` 1L; areimolmted. in any suitable' wayad-H jacent to the right-hand side of the disk 13, and the two centrifugal balls or weights 10, 10, may be, and in some cases are, connected by a suitable spring or springs, one of which 18 is shown in Fig. 1.

With the speed-regulator adjusted for full speed, movement of the disk 13 along the shaft while the shaft is rotating at low speeds is resisted only by the spring 16. For higherspeeds, however, the move-ment is resisted by the pads 17-17. The pads come relatively suddenly into action and therefore the resistance to movement of the disk varies widely, the variation being nonproportionate to the variation in the rotative speed.

On the hub 7 are two radial arms 19, 19, diametrically opposite to each other and eX- tending at right angles to the arms 8, 8. Mounted in said radial arms are two bellcrank levers 20, 20, shown in Fig. 6, each of said levers being pivoted in slots in the arms 19, 19, in a manner similar to the mounting of the levers 9, 9, in the arms 8, 8. Said bell-crank levers 20, 20, have at their outer ends centrifugal weights 22, 22, and the inturned arms of these levers engage the flanged end of a sleeve 23 mounted to slide upon the governor shaft 1, but being normally held in engagement with the bellcrank levers 20, 20. by a spring 24 reacting against a flange 25 on said sleeve and a suitable abutment at the other end of the spring.

A rock shaft 26 has an indicator arm or pointer 27 keyed thereto and also a dog 28 projecting into the path of the flange 25 on the sleeve 23. An arm 29 projects from the shaft 26, and is connected by a spring 30 to one end of a lever 31 fulcrumed in the framework of the machine and having an adjusting screw 32 bearing on the other end thereof, by means of which the tension of the spring may be adjusted.

The motor-board 33 of the machine is situated above the mechanism thus described, and has an indicating scale thereon. Preferably the motor-board is provide-d with a slot 34 adjacent the outer end of the pointer 27, so that when the pointer is moved, the end thereof moves under the slot 34, and adjacent to said slot there is a. speed indicating scale, here shown as indicating the revolutions, seventy, eighty, or ninety per minute, as shown at 35. Any other suitable number of revolutions may be indicated, and the parts adjusted accordingly, but ordinarily the machines are designed to drive the records at a revolution of somewhere between seventy and ninety per minute, and in such case the scale shown in Fig. 1 would be employed.

The speed-regulator and the speed-indicator are preferably so constructed and connected that they do not normally become operative until a predetermined rotative speed is attained. 1n the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the friction pads 17-17 and the dog 28 are, or may be, out of engagement with their respective disks when the mechanism is idle or is rotating at low speeds. It is only when the parts are rotated at higher speeds that the disks 13 and 25 are moved longitudinally to engage the Pads and the dog. Vith this arrangement the minimum of resistance is offered to the rotative movement of the shaft when it is being started, thus permitting the motor to bring the parts quickly to approximately normal speed. As the normal speed is approached, the disk 13 engages the pads 17-17 and the disk 25 engages the dog 28, both the disks and the dog offering some resistance to rotative movement.

From an inspection of Fig. 1, it willD be observed that, with the motor and the shaft 2 rotating in a direction necessary to turn the wheel 6 in the usual clockwise direction, there will be a reaction at the worm-andwheel gearing tending to move the shaft 2 toward the right. But it will .be observed that the pads 17-17 and the dog 28 press against the disks 13 and 25 respectively on the right-hand side thereof, thusresisting the general tendency of the shaft and the parts carried thereby to move toward the right. 1t will be seen that, by this arrangement, I have utilized the unavoidable pressure at the pads and at the dog to offset the unavoidable pressure resulting from Vthe worm-and-wheel gearing, which would otherwise have to be taken entirely on the thrust bearing. With this arrangement, the thrust bearing is relieved of the major portion of the pressure which it would otherwise carry.

Referring to Fig. 3, the dog 28 is shown fast to a rock shaft 26, to which is also keyed an arm 36 having a gear segment 37 on its outer end engaging a segmental gear 38 on a rock shaft 39, to which is keyed the pointer 27. Said rock shaft 39 also has an arm 40 keyed thereto, and ay spring 41 eX- tends between the outer end of said arm 40 and an adjusting screw 32 mounted in the frame of the machine, by means of which the tension of the spring` 41, and therefore the position of the indicator arm 27 may be adjusted. A Y

The friction pads 17 17, (see Figs. 3 and 5) are here shown as mounted onthe two branches 42, 42, of one arm of a bell-crank lever 43 fulcrumed at A44 and having an adjusting screw 45 mounted to turn in the frame of the machine andbearing on the other arm of said bell-crank lever. A spring 46 acts to hold the arm of thepbell-crank lever in operative contact with the screw 45. The adjustment of the pads 17 relative to the friction disk 13 is secured by turning the screw 45, as will be readily understood.

Lacasse As has already been pointed out in connection with the construction shown in Figs. l and 2, the friction pads and the dog for the speed-indicating mechanism are, or may be, out of engagement with their disks at low speeds, but come into engagement at higherl speeds. From the description that has been given, it will be seen that I have provided means whereby the pads can be adjusted to vary the maximum speed at which they are out of engagement with the disks and at which the speed-regulator is inoperative; and that I have provided means whereby the dog 28 can be adjusted to vary the maximum speed at which it is out of engagement with the disk and at which the speed-indicator is inoperative.

Operation: In operation, the hub 7 being keyed to the governor shaft l turns t-herewith and the weights 10, l0,- and 22, 22, move outward under the action of centrifugal force, and the friction disk 13 is drawn into contact with the friction pads 17, the speed of the motor being determined by the position of said pads, and the disk 25 is thrown into operative engagement with the dog 28, thereby operatingthe pointer arm which, in conjunction with the scale, will indicate the speed at which the motor is being driven. By providing two sets of centrifugally operated devices, one of which actuates the speed governor and the other of which actuates the speed indicator, I am enabled to avoid the factor of error which would result if the speed indicator and the speed governor were both actuated by the same centrifugally operated element. Up to the time when the friction disk engages the friction pads to control the speed of the motor,

the position of such friction disk would vary.

relatively to the speed of the motor, but when the disk comes in contact with the pads, it acts to compress the same to a variable degree, and the greater the speed of the motor the greater will the pads be compressed, but the movement of the disk along the governor shaft will not be in proportion to the variations in speed, after the disk comes in contact with the pads. On the other hand, the movement of the disk 25 which actuates the dog 28 whereby the indicator arm or pointer is actuated, has its position controlled by the centrifugally operated balls 22, without the interference of any disturbing element and therefore the position of the disk 25 will vary relatively to and in proportion to the variations in speed, and therefore the position of this disk, which is indicated by the pointer arm and its accompanying scale, is a correct criterion of the speed of the motor.

It will thus be seen that by operating the speed governing mechanism and the speed indicating mechanism by two independentsets of vcentrifugally operated devices under the iniuence of the motor shaft, I am enabled simultaneously to govern or control the speed of the motor and also indicate such speed, and the speed indicator serves as a guide for the operator .in adjusting the movements of the speed governor to secure the speed desired.

What I claim isz- 1. In a talking machine, in combination with a. turn-table shaft for rotating a soundrecord and a motor, a shaft driven by said motor, operative connections between said shafts, a centrifugal device rotated by said driven shaft, brake mechanism operatively connected therewith, a second centrifugal device rotated by said driven shaft and responsive yto changes of speed of said first centrifugal device, and a speed indicator operatively connected with said second centrifugal device.

2. In a talking machine, in combination with a turn-table shaft for rotating a soundrecord and a motor, a shaft driven by said motor, operative connections between said shafts, a'hub carried by said driven shaft, two centrifugal devices mounted on said hub, a brake mechanism operatively connected to one of said centrifugal devices, and a speed indicator operatively connected to the other of said centrifugal devices.

3. In a talking machine, in combination with a turn-table shaft for rotating a soundrecord and a motor, a shaft driven by said motor, operative connections between said shafts, a centrifugal speed-governing mechanism mounted on said driven shaft, a second centrifugal device mounted on said driven shaft and responsive to changes of speed of said speed-governing mechanism, and a speed indicator operatively connected with said second centrifugal device independently of said speed-governing mechanism.

4. In a talking machine, in combination with a turn-table shaft for rotating a soundrecord and a motor, a shaft driven by said motor, operative connections between said shafts, a sleeve rotating with said driven shaft and movable longitudinally thereon, said sleeve carrying one member of a brake mechanism, a second sleeve rotating with said driven shaft and longitudinally movable thereon, a speed indicator operatively connected with said second sleeve. and two centrifugal devices mounted on said driven shaft, each of said centrifugal devices being operatively related to one of said sleeves.

5. In a talking machine, in combination with a turn-table shaft for rotating a soundrecord and a motor, a shaft driven by said motor, operative connections between said shafts, a centrifugal 'device rotated by said driven shaft, brake mechanism operatively connected therewith, a second centrifugal device rotated by said driven shaft and relll sponsive tochanges ,of Speed` of `said first centrifugal device, a speedxindicator com` prisinga pfointerand-.a scale, said-.pointer being-operatively connected with said second centriiugaldevice, and means for adjusting.

said.;pointeimrelatively to said secondgzen-` trifugal device. l

6. In a talking machine, in eombination with rr turntable shaftfor rotating a soundrecord ,aiid. *motoig a shaftdriven byvsaid motor,l l olaeratne connections between' said.

shafts, a hub-jcarried bvsaid 'driven shaft, tWo-setsof centrifugal devices independently mount-eden. saidfliub, a sleeveat one end-of tri-fugalfdevices wherebyit may be moved longitudinally of the driven .sha-ift thereby, brake meclianis-m associated with one of said sleevegandya speed, indicator operatively connected to the 'other' of. said sleeves.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for fivet cents eaehLby addressng-the "Commissioner of Patents,4

7. Infa talkingfmachine, the,.comloination ofadriven shaft,ja speed-indicating deviceconsistinguof a scaleand 4]oo1nter,a centrifu-H gally operated'eleinent on said shaft, and.

operating means eomprisingtivo parts rer spectively connected Witlrsaid element and.v

said pointer, the said parte being out ofen'-A gagement at low. speeds and in engagementV at high speeds.

8. In a talkinggmacliine, a driven shaft, asleeve inountedon saldshaft, a centrifu gal device .imparting longitudinal movement to-saidsleeve with relation to said s hat, nniindicating; pointer and Vscale, a shaft von which, said pointer is monntecLand a dog on said shaift projecting into the path of.,

said sleeve, the sleeve beingjmovable in one direction `independently,of tlie dog.

Intestimony whereof I havesigned this` speciication inthe presence of two subscrib- Washington, D. (3.` 

